As I prepare my lessons, I often feel the desire to seek knowledge and understanding not only from the scriptures and words of our prophets, but from those I know personally. I find there’s no better way to make the gospel personal than consulting with others; discovering their experiences and opinions on the things that matter most to them as well as to me. And, in my effort to share the gospel online, I thought I’d ask my Facebook friends what they think about when they hear the word ‘SACRIFICE’.
But before we go any farther, I want to ask you the same question. What do YOU think of when YOU hear the word “SACRIFICE”? Think about it while I read you some of my friends’ responses.
“I think of sacrificing dinner for dessert” (Now, this was from my good friend and cousin who is a member and was trying to be funny…which I think he accomplished. He is the reason I brought treats!)
“I think of Heavenly Father's sacrifice of His Son first and foremost. Then I think of the sacrifices parents make as they bare and raise children.”
“My first thought was all that Joseph Smith sacrificed. He was jailed, beaten, tarred and feathered, persecuted, had children die because of the treatment and eventually sacrificed his life in the Carthage jail so that the mob would stop. And of course the ultimate sacrifice of Christ for us. Then I think of parents and all the nights we stay up with sick kids or the money we scrimp so that they can have the "good things" while we go without. All of the sacrifices are worth it.”
“So when I think of sacrifice, I obviously think of our Savior, but in my own personal life on a daily basis.....I think of myself. I think being a mom is the biggest sacrifice. We give up our free time to do laundry, clean, cook, etc. We put all of our energy into chasing kids around, running errands, keeping our home in order. We sacrifice our bodies to have children. We give up our education and careers to raise our families. We give ...up our sleep. We give up commitment or other opportunities because you never know when your kids will be sick/not up for going out. You sacrifice alone time with your spouse. And you give up all hope of ever wearing a clean outfit out the door! haha jk. But with sacrifice comes blessings. Lots and lots of blessings. We as moms are trying our best to raise righteous children, and when we ourselves do it in a righteous manner, our families will be blessed.”
“ Marriage and Motherhood. Marriage and Motherhood are about giving of yourself to others to build them up. To fail to do so is to fail in both endeavors. Both are incredible blessings as well.”
“Kinda odd, but when I think of sacrifice I think of Blessings. Those two are always a pair for me. Every sacrifice brings a blessing.”
“I think of sacrifice as a law of the universe, like gravity. If I want to be strong and physically fit I have to sacrifice my will (to relax or sit on the couch), time, energy and sometimes pain to exercise. If I want to be knowledgeable about something I sacrifice my will (to goof off and waste time), time, thoughts, and effort to study or practice. If I want my kids to be good I sacrifice my time and effort to teach them and (try) to be patient with them. These are just things that need to be done if I want the desired outcome. If I want those outcomes it is worth it to me to do what it takes to get them even if that process requires sacrifice.
Same as with spiritual things, laws of the universe, like gravity. D&C 130: 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— 21And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
If I want a good relationship with God and my fellow men I sacrifice to love them and serve them, read about God and his laws in the scriptures, [and] pray (can't have a good relationship without good communication). If I want to be happy I sacrifice to follow the commandments because I have faith that following them will bring me happiness as I have been promised.
Christ sacrificed for us because he loved us enough to go through all the pain and everything that he did because it is what needed to be done to meet the demands of justice and save us from death and sin. I can't imagine the weight and difficulty of his sacrifice, but to him it was worth it for the desired outcome.”
Now your turn. Did they miss anything?
What are some things we sacrifice as members of the church in these latter days? As parents? As spouses? As daughters of God?
A few examples are:
-Food (fasting), money (tithing), popularity, certain activities/foods/behaviors.
-Money, traveling, independence, time, energy, sleep.
-Time, friends, independence, the way you like the toilet paper.
-Mortal, day to day challenges that come with having a body and making our way back to him.
The lists are endless. But so are the blessings that come with them.
Think of the blessings that come from those sacrifices.
A few examples are:
-Answers to prayer, stronger testimonies, stronger relationships, healthy bodies less self inflicted hardships.
-Love, laughter, happiness, joy.
-Companionship, eternal love, and trust.
-The love of our Heavenly Father and promises of blessings.
Does anyone have a specific story about blessings they received as a result of sacrifice that they are willing to share?
(My Stories:
The best friend I have in the world is someone I met, got to know, and became friends with because of service. I sacrificed my time, energy etc. to watch her daughter and help her out from time to time. She did the same for me. After a little while, we became amazing friends.
I got married super young-obviously. In giving up my “independence,” so to speak, and the traveling/adventures/time with friends, I’ve been blessed with not only a husband far greater than I ever would have found otherwise, but a second family that loves and supports me more than I thought possible.)
Blessings from our Heavenly Father who loves us. Those are the things I want to focus on today. Each person will sacrifice and experience hard things. It’s unavoidable. But the upshot of it, the consequence of it, will be something positive down the road. I don’t want anybody to leave today feeling burdened, weary, or frightened. I don’t want anybody to leave feeling as though their sacrifices are too little (or too much for that matter). Instead, I want you to have an increased determination to endure and to serve, a greater hope for good things to come and even more gratitude for the sacrifices of our Savior and our leaders/ancestors/friends.
Let’s start with the basics. According to the manual, sacrifice means “giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work. The Lord commanded, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33). Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.” But the sacrifice required has changed over time.
(Can anyone tell me how the Law of Sacrifice was practiced anciently and why?)
When the Law of Sacrifice was practiced anciently it was required that the firstlings of the flock, those that were without blemish, to be sacrificed to remind people that Jesus Christ would come to this earth, the perfect son of God, and would sacrifice himself for us. And Christ DID come and HE DID sacrifice himself for us. With that the Law of Sacrifice changed.
The Guide to the Scriptures (an online publication on LDS.org) says that “In ancient days, sacrifice meant to make something or someone holy. It has now come to mean to give up or suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and his kingdom.”
It is interesting also to note that in 3 Nephi 9: 19-20 Christ says “And ye shall offer up unto me ano more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”
As a child I never understood what a broken heart and a contrite spirit was. I heard it all the time and I kind of understood by the context that it had something to do with humility. The manual says it the best, and the simplest when it says, “A ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit’ means that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.” A broken heart and a contrite spirit, our time, talents, resources, energy and whatever else may be needed is what we are now asked to sacrifice.
The Apostle Paul (Romans 12:1) wrote that we should become living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.
Also from the manual, we read “Members of the Lord’s Church should be willing to sacrifice all things for the Lord. Joseph Smith taught that ‘a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.’ In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up.”
When we think of people that have truly sacrificed (in addition to He who paid the greatest sacrifice, even Jesus Christ) we think of Joseph Smith and the pioneers. We think of the amazing saints all over the world that go without food/shelter and sell all they have to make it to the temple. We think of those who choose to live the gospel in countries where branches span miles upon miles and attending church meetings means hours of travel each way. We think of the missionaries serving for two years in foreign lands far from their families and all they’ve ever known. And we think about converts who have been tossed out and disowned by those they love most as a result of their membership in the Gospel. To us, these are all hard, hard things, huge sacrifices. But as Won Yong Ko of the Second Quorum of the Seventy said “Today we are not likely to be asked to make such a big sacrifice as giving up our lives, but we can see many examples of Saints who make painful sacrifices to keep their faith and testimonies alive. Maybe it is more difficult to make the small sacrifices in our daily lives. For instance, it could be regarded as a small sacrifice to keep the Sabbath day holy, to read the scriptures daily, or to pay our tithing. But these sacrifices cannot be easily made unless we have the mind and the determination to make the sacrifices that are needed to be able to keep those commandments.
So are these small sacrifices of lesser value? Do we fall short because we haven’t had a Abraham and Isaac experience? Should our sacrifices be forgotten because we haven’t crossed the plains or laid down our own lives for the cause? (No) Can we be like the pioneers and devote our entire selves to the cause of our Heavenly Father, even if we’re not crossing the plains? (Absolutely) Should we? (Yes) Why? (See above)
-We are commanded to
-It’s the way we will make it back to our Heavenly Father.
-We will be blessed.
“The Primary purpose of the Law of Sacrifice is twofold: to test us and to assist us to come unto Christ.” Elder M. Russell Ballard
As we make these small sacrifices, we are compensated by more blessings from the Lord. King Benjamin said, “And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever” (Mosiah 2:24). And, as he did with his own people, King Benjamin encourages us so that we will receive more blessings as we continue to obey the Lord’s word.”
So let’s talk blessings.
“Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).
Here’s the thing…do we get to decide how we are blessed? Or when we are blessed? Sometimes the blessings we want, need and crave DO come when and how we want them. But sometimes they don’t.
“Occasionally there is a time gap between the sacrifice and the blessing. The sacrifice may come according to our time schedule, but the blessing may not come by our, but by the Lord’s, calendar. Because of this, the Lord comforts us by saying, “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work” (D&C 64:33).
The blessings surely come to us. Please remember that the sacrifice itself might be a form of blessing. Let us make the sacrifice of small things.
When we read the Book of Mormon while rubbing our sleepy eyes, let us remember that we are following the counsel of our prophet and receive the joy that comes from that knowledge. We have many bills to pay, but when we pay tithing, let us feel joy for having the opportunity to donate something to the Lord.
And then greater blessings will be poured out on us. It will be just like our surprise and joy when we receive an unexpected gift.”
It’s not just about the blessings though. Why else do we sacrifice?
-To help others (I think people often over look the sacrifices they make, not even seeing them as such, because they have a true desire to help others)
“Deciding to sacrifice is a personal choice that has consequences to more than just yourself.” (Mom)
-To become like Christ
“Only through sacrifice can we become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. Many who have lived before us have sacrificed all they had. We must be willing to do the same if we would earn the rich reward they enjoy.” (Manual)
“…a place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make of our time, talents, energy, money, and lives. Through sacrifice we can obtain a knowledge from the Lord that we are acceptable to Him (see D&C 97:8).” (the manual)
As President Spencer W. Kimball said, “As we give, we find that ‘sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!’ [“Praise to the Man,” Hymns, no. 27.] And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all” (“Becoming the Pure in Heart,” Ensign, Mar. 1985, 5).
Sacrifice is not easy. It’s something that we must do deliberately. We must CHOOSE to sacrifice.
“Private choices are not private. They all have public consequences…Our society is the sum totally of what millions of individuals do in their private lives.” James E. Faust Ensign May 1987
“To reach any significant goal you must leave your comfort zone.” Hyrum W. Smith (Mom’s Franklin Convey)
“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of sacrifice. Please enjoy the happiness and blessings from the sacrifice itself.” Elder Won Yon Ko
I know that this church is true. It is that simple testimony that allows me to push forward and accomplish those things which I know are pleasing unto my Father in Heaven. I know that as we strive to do what is right, to sacrifice for the right reasons and follow our Savior, we WILL BE BLESSED. I know that as we experience hard things and sacrifice much there will always be one person, one perfect person, standing beside us, holding our hand while we finish the race. He, our Savior Jesus Christ, knows up personally and has suffered what we have suffered. It is He would can stand by our side, not with sympathy, but with empathy. He has suffered more than we can imagine. I know that if he could do that for me, I can sacrifice what little he asks of me, for him. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
D&C 68:6Gospel Principles Manual
Sacrfice Is A Joy And A Blessing, Elder Won Yong Ko 2005 October Ensign
The Guide to the Scriptures
Additional resources
Quotes on Sacrifice,
The Law of Sacrifice, Elder M. Russell Ballard 1998 October Ensign
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